Lebanese lentil soup: the lentils stay, the oil comes down.
Shorbat adas is red lentils, onion, cumin and lemon. The lentils bring the protein either way, so the pot gets lighter by cooking the onion in less oil and thickening with carrots where the classic uses rice: 311 kcal a serving becomes 230.
- 230 kcal a serving, down from 311 for the classic, with 13 g protein, 38 g carbs and 4 g fat
- 2 swaps, each with what it does to a serving, and 2 ways to add protein, up to 24 g a serving
- 6 servings, weighed at 1,850 g when finished, from 8 USDA FoodData Central entries in the library
Calories and macros per serving and per 100 g
The lighter example makes 6 servings from a 1,850 g finished batch: 308.3 g per serving. These are sample weights, not a measurement of your plate.
| Portion | kcal | Protein g | Carbs g | Fat g |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One serving | 230 | 13.0 | 38.3 | 3.7 |
| 100 g cooked | 75 | 4.2 | 12.4 | 1.2 |
Calculated from the ingredient totals below, before rounding the displayed serving. Use your own cooked weight; retained fat, liquid and portions can change the estimate.
Classic vs lighter, per serving.
The same lebanese lentil soup, made two ways from the same library entries and the same 6 servings. The lighter version is the one built on the screens below.
| Per serving | Classic | Lighter | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| kcal | 311 | 230 | −81 |
| Protein g | 14 | 13 | −1 |
| Carbs g | 46 | 38 | −8 |
| Fat g | 9 | 4 | −5 |
| Saturated fat g | 1.3 | 0.6 | −0.7 |
Saturated fat comes from the same USDA entries; the recipe sheet itself shows calories, protein, carbs and fat. Calorie and macro figures are fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice.
Swap by swap.
Each change in turn, from the classic to the lighter version, and what it does to one serving.
1. Cook the onion in 14 g of oil, not 45 g
−46 kcal, −5 g fat, −0.7 g saturated fat a serving
A tablespoon softens the onion as well as three do. The rest was 46 kcal and 5 g of fat a serving.
2. Thicken with carrots instead of rice
−35 kcal, −1 g protein, −8 g carbs a serving
The classic simmers a handful of rice in the pot. 200 g of carrots give the same body for 35 kcal less a serving, and the red lentils thicken the soup anyway.
More protein, if you need it.
Hitting a protein target is the hard part for most people. Each option is added to the lighter version on its own, with what it does to a serving of 13 g protein and 230 kcal. Save the one you like as its own recipe.
Simmer shredded chicken breast in the pot
+60 kcal, +11 g protein, +1 g fat, +0.2 g saturated fat a serving, making 24 g protein a serving
300 g of skinless chicken breast, poached in the soup to 165°F and shredded, adds 11 g of protein a serving for 60 kcal.
Finish each bowl with Greek yogurt
+31 kcal, +5 g protein, +2 g carbs a serving, making 18 g protein a serving
A spoonful of nonfat Greek yogurt on each bowl, 300 g across the pot, adds 5 g of protein a serving for 31 kcal.
Oil and fat: the type changes the fat, the amount changes the calories.
The three oils below are each 884 kcal per 100 g, and ghee is within a few calories of them. Swapping one for another moves the saturated fat, not the calories; using less is what saves them. Butter is lower per gram only because part of it is water.
| Fat, per tablespoon, 14 g | kcal | Fat g | Sat fat g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 124 | 14 | 1.9 |
| Canola oil | 124 | 14 | 1.0 |
| Avocado oil | 124 | 14 | 1.6 |
| Ghee (butter oil) | 123 | 14 | 8.7 |
| Butter, salted | 100 | 11 | 7.2 |
The sample data
These are the amounts of the lighter version used on the screens below, with each figure taken from the library entry for that ingredient. They are sample figures for a pot or tray of this size, not a measurement of anyone's kitchen.
| Ingredient | Amount | kcal | Protein g | Carbs g | Fat g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red lentils, raw | 300 g | 1,074 | 72 | 189 | 7 |
| Onions, raw | 150 g | 60 | 2 | 14 | 0 |
| Carrots, raw | 200 g | 82 | 2 | 19 | 0 |
| Garlic | 9 g | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Olive oil | 14 g | 124 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Cumin seed | 4 g | 15 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Turmeric, ground | 2 g | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Lemon juice | 30 g | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Whole recipe | 709 g | 1,381 | 78 | 230 | 22 |
| Per serving (6) | 308 g | 230 | 13 | 38 | 4 |
Calorie and macro figures are fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice. Ingredient values are from USDA FoodData Central, which is in the public domain.
USDA source entries: Red lentils, raw; Onions, raw; Carrots, raw; Garlic; Olive oil; Cumin seed; Turmeric, ground; Lemon juice. Match the preparation and weighed amounts to your own ingredients.
Why this recipe
A pot of soup is the hardest thing to log from a generic entry, because the water hides how much lentil and oil went in. Built from what you weighed, the same pot always gives the same serving, however thick you like it.
What to weigh
Weigh the lentils dry, as the library entry describes them. The ingredients weigh 709 g, and the sample pot weighs 1,850 g once the water is in and the soup has simmered. The water adds weight and no calories, so a serving is 308 g.
How to cook it
The method for the lighter version above, using the amounts in the sample data. Use a food thermometer to check the safe temperatures.
- Rinse the lentils until the water runs clear. Chop the onion and carrots small and crush the garlic.
- Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft, then stir in the garlic, cumin and turmeric for 30 seconds.
- Add the lentils, carrots and about 1.4 litres of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer partly covered for 20 to 25 minutes until the lentils fall apart.
- Blend until smooth or leave it coarse, stir in the lemon juice, season with salt and serve hot.
At a glance
- Prep: 10 minutes
- Cook: 30 minutes
- Makes 6 servings
- Per serving: 230 kcal, 13 g protein
Times are for a home kitchen and leave out any marinating or resting the steps mention.
The full workflow, in four steps.
1. Open Create a recipe and search the library
Open Add food and choose Create a recipe, name it, then choose Add ingredient and search the library. Typing "red lentils" lists the raw entry with its calories per 100 g.
2. Enter the amount you weighed
Choose the raw red lentils, switch the portion to grams and enter 300. The sheet shows 1,074 kcal with 72 g of protein for the lentils alone.
3. Add the rest, then set the servings and finished weight
Add the onion, carrots, garlic, 14 g of olive oil, the cumin, turmeric and lemon juice, then enter the 6 servings and the 1,850 g the finished pot weighed.
4. Save it and log a serving
Save the recipe and it becomes one of your own foods. The next screen is the normal Add food form, ready to log one serving or any weight of it.
Tips while you build it
- Weigh the empty pot once and write the number on a piece of tape. The finished weight is then the full pot minus the tape.
- Red lentils break down on their own in about twenty minutes, so the soup thickens without rice or flour.
- A serving is about 308 g, roughly a bowl and a half. Log by weight when you ladle a different amount.
Go further
- Cooking for someone who wants the rice? Build a second recipe with 80 g of raw white rice where the carrots are, and log whichever pot you made.
- Add the lemon juice at the end, off the heat. It tastes brighter, so the soup needs less oil and salt to feel finished.
Each change is a second recipe with its own name, so the first stays as you built it.
Lebanese lentil soup questions.
How many calories are in Lebanese lentil soup?
The sample comes to 230 kcal a serving, with 13 g protein, 38 g carbs and 4 g fat. The classic version with more oil and rice is 311 kcal for the same share of the pot.
Do I weigh the lentils dry or cooked?
Dry, because the library entry is for raw lentils. Weigh the finished pot once to enter the finished weight, and the recipe works out each serving.
Does adding more water change the calories?
Not for the whole pot. Water adds weight only, so a thinner soup has fewer calories per 100 g and the same calories per serving when you divide the pot the same way.
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Keep going.
- Recipe builderWhat the builder does, and every example recipe in one place.
- Lebanese food caloriesPer 100 g tables for the dishes the food library finds.
- Nutrition and macro trackingBarcodes, label reading, targets that follow your weigh-ins.
- Help: scan, create and recipesThe same steps in the Help Center.
Cook it once. Log it for good.
Build a lighter version of your own lebanese favourite in Nutrition.